Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/63

Rh for sheep, and built of stones laid in cement. There were no stalls or partitions of any kind. Dust and chaff yellowed the floor, filled all the crevices and hollows, and thickened the spider-webs, which dropped from the ceiling like bits of dirty linen; otherwise the place was cleanly, and, to appearance, as comfortable as any of the arched lewens of the khan proper. In fact, a cave was the model and first suggestion of the lewen.

&quot;Come in!&quot; said the guide. &quot;These piles upon the floor are for travellers like yourselves. Take what of them you need.&quot;

Then he spoke to Mary.

&quot;Can you rest here?&quot;

&quot;The place is sanctified,&quot; she answered.

&quot;I leave you then. Peace be with you all!&quot;

When he was gone, they busied themselves making the cave habitable.

a certain hour in the evening the shouting and stir of the people in and about the khan ceased; at the same time, every Israelite, if not already upon his feet, arose, solemnized his face, looked towards Jerusalem, crossed his hands upon his breast, and prayed; for it was the sacred ninth hour, when sacrifices were offered in the temple on Moriah, and God was supposed to be there. When the hands of the worshippers fell down, the commotion broke forth again; everybody hastened to bread, or to make his pallet. A little later, the lights were put out, and there was silence, and then sleep.

About midnight some one on the roof cried out, &quot;What light is that in the sky? Awake, brethren, awake and see!&quot;

The people, half asleep, sat up and looked; then they became wide-awake, though wonder-struck. And the stir spread to the court below, and into the lewens; soon the entire tenantry of the house and court and enclosure were out gazing at the sky.

And this was what they saw. A ray of light, beginning